Windshield cleaner mounting



H. HUEBER El AL WINDSHIELD CLEANER MOUNTING Aug. 6, 1935;

Filed Sept. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 6, 1935.

H. HUEBER El AL 2,010,693

WINDSHIELD CLEANER MOUNTING Filed Sept. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 6, 1935 WINDSHIELD CLEANER MOUNTING Henry Hueber, Buffalo, and Erwin C. Horton, Hamburg, N. Y., assignors to Trico Products Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application'S eptember 14, 1932, Serial No. 633,177

, I '10 Claims. (01.296-84) This invention relates to windshield cleaners for motor vehicles, and has particular reference to an improved manner of mounting the cleaner mechanism upon the vehicle and an improved relationship between the parts of the vehicle body and the cleaner mechanism.

In recent motor vehicle designs the header structure, above the windshield, has been utilized to house the actuating motor or motors, and actu- D ating linkage, for windshield wipers which are mounted to reciprocate across the exterior face of the windshield. Such cleaner mechanism, in addition to the actuating motor or motors and the actuating linkage, usually includes one or 5 more. wiper blades, and a supporting arm for each blade carried by a shaft journalled to escillate about an axis substantially normal to the plane of the windshield. In order to reduce the frontal area of the vehicle body and to improve the appearance of the body, it is desirable to reduce the height of the header structure to such degree that it will no longer suflice to house the cleaner motor and any actuating linkage.

'Ihepresent invention comprehends the mount ing of the motor or motors, and the actuating linkage, if any be used, considerably to the rear of the header structure,-or where the roof and ceiling of the vehicle are sufliciently diverged to accommodate such mechanism.

Further, it is sometimes desirable to mount windshield operating mechanism or other accessories in the header structure, and any interference between such devices and windshield cleaner mechanism is to a large degree ,obviated by the present invention;

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the typical embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying drawings, wherein: l Fig. 1 is a phantomperspective view of a motor vehicle provided with a windshield cleaner in accordance with the present invention; v

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the upper forward portion of the vehii cle body, and disclosing the windshield cleaner mechanism mounted thereon; and

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

As illustrated, the vehicle body comprises an l upwardly and rearwardly inclined windshield it supported in a suitable frame ll. Above the windshield is a. header structure including header bar l2 and the depending frontal portion l3 of the vehicle roof ll. The roof is supported by l suitable frame members, including the longitudinally spaced beams l 5, it which extend transversely of the body. Beneath the roof and frame members is a ceiling I! which may be of metal, fabric, or other material. As shown in Fig. 2, the roof and ceiling are relatively close together 5 adjacent the header bar and diverge as they extend rearwardly. Adjacent the beam 1 3 they are spaced. sufliciently that a windshield cleaner motor may be mounted between them. A pair of motors l8, I9 is secured to the beam 18 by fasteners 2|.

The forwardly extending shaft 22 of each mo-. tor extends into a tube 23 supported by the roof supporting means. As illustrated, for example, thetubes 23 extend through openings in the beams l5 and I6, and have flanges 24 secured to the beam 16. Journalled within the tubes 23 are drive shafts 25 having splined connections tion substantially normal to the plane of the windshield, through aligned openings in the frontal 30 portion l3 of the roof and the header bar I2, being secured to the latter in any suitable manner, as by screw threading. A flange 33 on each of l the members 32 abuts the frontal portion l3, and may be of non-circular formation to enable the member to be threaded into the header bar with a wrench or other tool. The shafts 26 are provided at their forward ends with a shoulder 34 and, at their other ends, with a shouldered member of the coupling 21, as shown in Fig. 3, to prevent longitudinal displacement from the journal member 32.

Themotors l8, I9 are preferably of the suction operated type described in our co-pending application Serial No. 437,579, filed March 20, 1930, each motor having a vane piston and the chambers on opposite sides of the piston of one motor being connected to the respective chambers of the other motor by conduits 36, 36, and a conduit 31 connecting the chambers of motor l8 to the intake manifold 38 of the vehicle engine, suitable automatic valve mechanism being included in the motor l8. A suitable control valve 39 carried by the motor l8 may be operated by a lever 4| which extendsthrough an opening in the celling IT. The workto be performed by the two motors is equalized by connecting linkage comprising arms 42, 42, one carried by each motor shaft 22, and a bar 43 pivoted to the free end of each arm.

It will be understood that the present invention provides for the mounting of one or a plurality of blade type wipers of the angularly reciprocating type, wherein the actuating motor or motors are fully concealed in the vehicle top structure, in such manner that the motor control lever 4| is accessible to the operator of the vehicle. The motor or motors are mounted between the ceiling and roof where the latter are considerably spaced, thereby permitting the use of a comparatively low or narrow header structure which could not-accommodate such motors. Likewise the motor unifying link 43 and arms 42 are disposed rearwardly of the header structure, concealed from view and yet in such position as not to interfere with the header structure or any accessories, such as windshield actuators which may be mounted in the header structure.

It will further beunderstood that the hereindescribed embodiment is merely illustrative of the inventive principles involved, and that the latter may be applied in various alternative forms, all within the contemplation of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a motor vehicle body including an inclined windshield, a header structure above the windshield, a roof extending rearwardly from the header structure and frame means for supporting said roof, a windshield wiper shaft journalled in said header structure with 7 its axis substantially normal to the plane of the windshield, an arm carried by the shaft for supporting a wiper blade in cleaning relation to the windshield, a windshield cleaner motor mounted on said frame means remote from the wind .neld, a drive shaft connected to the motor and joined by a flexible coupling to said wiper shaft, and a tubular housing supported by said frame means and disposed between the motor and flexible coupling for journalling said drive shaft.

2. In combination with a motor vehicle body including a windshield, a header structure above the windshield, a roof and ceiling extending rearwardly from said header structure, and a frame member between the roof and ceiling disposed rearwardly of the windshield and substantially parallel thereto, a pair of wiper. shafts journalled in spaced relation in said header structure, an arm carriedby each of the shafts for supporting wiper blades in cleaning relation to the windshield, a'pair of motors supported by said frame member and drive shafts connecting each of said wiper shafts with one of the motors, an arm carried,by each of said drive shafts and a link pivoted to and connecting said arms for causing the motors to operate in unison.

3. In combination with a motor vehicle body including a windshield, a header structure above the windshield, a roof and ceiling including frame means therefor extending rearwardly from said header structure, a pair of spaced wiper supporting shafts jounalled in means supported by the header structure, a pair of windshield cleaner motors disposed rearwardly of said header struc-' ture between the roof and ceiling and supported by said frame means, drive means connecting each motor with one of the wiper supporting shafts, means for causing said motors to operate in unison, and control means on one of the motors for controlling both of the motors, said control means including a control lever extending downwardly through an opening in the ceiling.

4. In combination with a vehicle body including a windshield, a header bar above the windshield, and a roof extending rearwardly from the header bar and having a frontal portion extending forwardly and downwardly over the header bar, aligned openings substantially normal to the plane of the windshield formed in said frontal portion and the header bar, a tubular member extending through said openings and secured to the header bar, said tubular member having a flange at its forward end for abutting the forward surface of the frontal portion, a wiper carrying shaft journalled in said tubular member, said shaft having means adjacent each end of the tubular member for holding the shaft against longitudinal movement in the tubular member.

5. In a vehicle body including'a windshield and frame therefor, a roof and a ceiling, a relatively low windshield header structure at the top of thewindshield, said roof and ceiling extending rearwardly from the header structure, said header being situatewithin an acute angle defined by the upper surface of the windshield frame and said roof, a windshield wiper actuating shaft journalled in the header structure, a wiper arm for moving a wiper blade in cleaning relation to the windshield operatively connected to said wiper actuating shaft, a motor mounted between the roof and ceiling at a point remote from the header structure, and flexible drive means connecting said wiper actuating shaft and said motor.

6. In a vehicle body including a windshield and frame therefor, a roof and a ceiling, a relatively low header structure at the top of the windshield, said roof and ceiling extending rearwardly from the header structure and being vertically spaced a greater distance at a point remote from the header structure than at points adjacent said header structure, a'windshield wiper actuating shaft for operative connection to a wiper actuating arm, said shaft being journalled in said header structure, a windshield cleaner motor mounted mote from the header structure, and flexible rearward from said header, bar, said motor hav-' ing a drive shaft angularly related to said wiper shaft, and flexible drive means between and operatively connecting the motor drive shaft and thewiper shaft.

8. A motor vehicle having an inclined windshield and a roof structure extending rearwardly'therefrom and including a roof, a ceiling beneath the roof and defining a space therebetween,

a header structure between the top of the windshield and the roof, a wiper shaft Journalled in the header structure with its axis substantially normal to the plane of the inclined windshield, a wiper connected-to the shaft for'wiping movement on the windshield, a cleaner motor disposed in said space. at a-polnt rearward-front a,o'1o,cos

saidheaderstructure, saidmotcrhaving adri ve 'shaftangularlytotheaxis of saidwiper shaft, 3 on shaft by the .roof structure and operatively connected to the motor shaft, said header member being provided with a chamber into which said wiper shaft and said on shaft extend, and a flexible coupling joining said wiper and ionshaftswithinthechamberofsaidheaderstructure 9.1 mmvehicle having a windshield and" "shaft, acleaner motor between the -roof and ceiling at such a point remote from-the, windshield, a on shaft between the motor and wiper shaft having detachable connection with the wiper shaft. and means car-- ried by the roof stmeture for supporting the p a s.

shaftandservingtoguidetheiat ter when making and breaking connection with thewipershaft,thedetachab1ebe-' tweentheonsh'aftanithewipershaft being made and broken upon axial. movement of said tron shaft in its means.

10. In a motor vehicle having a windshield and a roof structure extending rearwardly from the windshield, a header between the roof and the upper edge of the windshield, a wiper shaft journalled in the header having its forward end connectedtoa wipercarryingarmadjacentthe outersurface of thewindshield. means for actu-. ating the wiper shaft mounted in said roof struc-- ,ture atapoint rearwardlyofandremotefrom the header, a drive shaft extending from said meansinto adjacency with the other end of said wiper shaft, and a flexible driving connection between the adjacent ends of said shafts at a point substantially atrthe intersection of the ture.

' .sawnr c. non'mn.

of-said windshield and said roof struc- 

